Christmas Message
We trust and pray that all who read this message will experience the rich blessing of God at this time of year.
Luke's Gospel (chapter 2 verses 1-20) gives us Luke's account of the birth of Christ. Below we have shared the verses which deal with the message of the angel.
Luke 2 verses 10 -12: 'And the Angel said unto them, " Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger ".'
These words can be summarised like this:
The Announcement - by a Heavenly messenger.
The Arrival - of the Lord from Heaven.
The Absence - of wealth and riches.
The Atmosphere - Good tidings... Great joy.
The Anticipation - Of Salvation.
All this and much more can be found in these words.
But note:
Who came: Christ the Lord; the Eternal One had not only come into the world He had made, but He had become what He never was before (but will always be): A Man - this is the Incarnation.
Where He came to: He came to Bethlehem, thus fulfilling the words of the prophet Micah (Micah chapter 5 verse 2); this was acknowledged by the Chief Priests and Scribes in Matthew chapter 2 verses 4-6.
How He came: He was born of the virgin Mary, fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah many years earlier (Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14): "Behold a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel".
Why He came: 'Saviour' gives us the reason - to save sinners; as He later said Himself in Luke chapter 19 verse 10: "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost".
What a Wonder! What a Message! What a Person!
May you come to know Him as your own personal Saviour this Christmas.
In the Steps of the Saviour
In our Christmas message we looked at the Lord Jesus's Birth, as told in Luke chapter 2.
Here we will consider a little of His Baptism.
This is recorded for us in Luke chapter 3 verses 21-22 (see also Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11 and John 1:29-34).
'Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized,
and praying, the heaven was opened,
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him,
and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.'
The gospel writers Matthew and Mark tell us when the people were baptised they were "confessing their sins" .
As far as the Saviour was concerned, Matthew explains to us that at His baptism, 'He was fulfilling all righteousness' .
But what about Luke? What does he tell us?
Luke records the Activity of the Saviour, the Anointing of the Spirit , and the Attestation (or, testimony) of the Father.
The Activity of the Saviour:
"after all the people were baptised , it came to pass that Jesus also being baptised and praying..."
He was not confessing His sins! Why? Because He had none to confess.
"He is holy, harmless , undefiled and seperate from sinners" - Hebrews chapter 7 v 26.
So instead of confessing sin we find that the Saviour is praying and communing with His Father.
The Anointing of the Spirit:
" the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him "
(see also Luke 4 v 18; Isaiah 42 v 1)
For a brief moment the Spirit became visible, and was seen descending upon the Lord Jesus as he rose up out of the water.
The Attestation of the Father:
Luke then tells us that a voice came from Heaven, which said:
"Thou art my Beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased."
For a moment the Father became audible and bore witness to the people gathered that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
The Attestation of the Father... Thou art my beloved Son.
The Affection of the Father... My beloved Son.
The Approval of the Father... I am well pleased.
The Saviour also became visible, audible and tangible, as John says in 1 John chapter 1 verse 1:
'That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes ,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled , of the Word of Life.'
Luke is also declaring to us the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus had come down from Heaven; here, the Spirit descends from Heaven upon Him, and the Father's voice is heard coming down out of Heaven. The Trinity are acting in unity and harmony.
***
The Saviour was baptised just as He was about to begin His public life, leading up to his eventual betrayal and death.
The voices of the prophets had foretold His coming (see Isaiah chapter 7 v 14 , chapter 9 v 6-7; Micah chapter 5 v 2).
The voice of the angel had announced His arrival.
The voices of the shepherds, Simeon, Anna and John all bore witness of Him.
'For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.'
Now the Spirit descends, and the Father adds His voice to these others, as the Saviour steps out to commence His public ministry.
An Easter Message: He is Risen!
He is Risen
His Passion - The Passion of the Christ
The Prophet Isaiah, wrote hundreds of years before the Cross, these words in Isaiah 53 v 5:
"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. "
Peter, one of the apostles, echoed this truth when he wrote of Christ:
"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree."
(1 Peter 2v24 )
Later he wrote, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. "
(1 Peter 3v18 )
Similarly Paul , another apostle, wrote, "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures "
( 1 Corinthians 15v3 ) - meaning 'in perfect harmony with, and in fulfillment of, the prophetic scriptures'.
Many years later, in the early twentieth century, the poet William Ovens wrote:
"Wounded for me , Wounded for me,
There on the cross He was wounded for me"
If we could only take in this truth and trust Him we would be eternally saved.
Just like the Prophet, and Peter and Paul, the Poet was referring to the Judgement of God that fell upon Christ,
as He suffered in order to satisfy God on account of sin and to provide salvation for sinners.
***
His Power - the Power of the Christ
His power was seen in His miracles: He turned water into wine; He cleansed a leper with His word.
He made the blind see; He made the deaf hear: He made the lame walk.
Nothing was beyond His power.
Even the cruel death of crucifixion did not prove too great for Him,
for, although death has defeated the bravest and strongest of men, up from the grave He arose!
He arose a victor over death and the proof that He was risen was that He was seen: by the apostles and by over 500 people at once. Peter, James, John and Paul were only some of those who saw Him: even Mary, His earthly mother saw Him.
Yes! He is risen in mighty resurrection power.
Paul wrote about Christ:
"He rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
( 1Corinthians 15v4 )
This again was in harmony with , and a fulfillment of, the prophetic scriptures. As Peter said on the day of Pentecost:
" this Jesus hath God raised up , whereof we are all witnesses."
( Acts 2 v 32 )
And again he said: "that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
( Acts 2 v 36 )
He was always Lord and Christ , but God has demonstrated this truth by His resurrection. ( Acts 2v22-36 ).
***
His Promise - the Promise of the Christ
In John 14 v1-3 He said:
"I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you , I will come again, and receive you unto Myself;
that where I am , there ye may be also."
Yes, we are living in the Age of the Resurrected Christ called the Day of Salvation,
when sinners who repent and believe the Gospel can be saved.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ , and thou shalt be saved"
(Acts 16 v 31)
But this Age is soon to end;
the Lord is about to fulfill His promise to come again for those who are saved and take them to Heaven.
He never broke a promise while on Earth; He cannot break His promise to come back.
***
Are you ready for His return?
Are you saved? Do you know Christ as your own personal Saviour?
Are you expectantly waiting for Him to come to take you to Heaven?
All who are His can answer 'yes' to all these important questions.
***
'We're waiting for Jesus, His promise is plain;
His word sure and steadfast, He's coming again.
A numberless people will meet in the air the Lord who redeemed them - but will you be there?'
We are praying that you will be.
May God bless you.
In the Steps of the Saviour - Part 2
The Steps of the Saviour
We have already looked a little at the Saviour's birth. We have looked at the Saviour's baptism.
Today we will ponder the Saviour's battle.
We read in Luke 4 that, after His baptism, the Saviour was full of the Holy Spirit and he was then led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
It was there that He came under attack by the Devil.
***
The Saviour's Temptations
His temptations were very real, even though He could not sin.
None of the temptations came from within, they all came from without, like arrows fired from the foe.
As we read Luke 4 v 1-15, we see the Devil is a real personality.
We see he is a wicked and evil personality.
We see that he is a bold personality.
We see that he is persistent: he attacks the Saviour for forty days, and then when the Saviour is hungry, he attacks Him again.
So he is a personality, and he is persistent, but he is powerless against the Saviour, the Son of God.
Notice how the Saviour responds to the temptations: He quotes the word of the living and true God.
He does not take a physical weapon, because it is a spiritual battle. He takes a spiritual weapon: the Written Word; the Bible.
The Enemy is seeking to deter the Saviour from doing the will of God.
He is seeking to get the Saviour to step out of the pathway that God has given Him; in other words, to disobey God.
***
The Saviour's Texts
Each of the texts quoted by the Lord Jesus in Luke 4 come from the book of Deuteronomy.
He says:
"It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone"
( He would rather go hungry than disobey God. )
"It is written: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve"
( He loved the Lord His God with all His heart and with all His soul and with all His strength. )
"It is said: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"
( He would not put God to the test. )
The Word of God is written, and stands written. It is unchanged by all the centuries of time. The Saviour said in another place:
"Heaven and Earth will pass away but my words shall not pass away"
Matthew 24 v 35
***
The Saviour's Trust
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ trusted the unerring Word of God, we too can trust it.
He was attacked in relation to His person.
He was attacked in relation to His praise.
He was attacked in relation to His pathway.
Each time He quoted the word of God; each time He was victorious. Each time the enemy was proven to be powerless.
***
The Saviour's Triumph
The enemy departed from Him defeated. He had attacked over and over again, but to no avail.
When you are tempted to sin - to step out of the way that you know to be morally correct; to bow to the enemy's suggestions - turn to the Word of God. Obey it and trust it, for it is written and stands written. It is immutable, unchangeable, reliable and eternal.
"For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Thy faithfulness is unto all generations..."
Psalm 119 v 89/90
The Saviour could not sin though a real man upon Earth. He is the same Saviour today; He can not sin though a real man in Heaven. This gives confidence to all who trust Him as their own personal Saviour, for the One who did not and could not fail upon Earth, will not and cannot fail now in Heaven.
He is, as Hebrews 7 v 26 says: "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens."
Hebrews 13 v 8 adds "[He is] ... the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
***
Have YOU trusted Him as YOUR Saviour?
Don't be afraid to, for as He said Himself :
" the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Luke 19 v 10.
In the Steps of the Saviour - Part 3
The Saviour's Book
' And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up:
and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day,
and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.
And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written:
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.
And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And he began to say unto them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears". '
Luke 4 v 16-21
***
The passage under consideration in this article is Luke 4 v 16 - 30. A section from this scripture is shown above.
We can divide the passage as follows:
The Place ... Nazareth.
The Prophecy ... Isaiah (often referred to as 'The Gospel of Isaiah').
The Portion ... Isaiah 61 v 1-2.
The Proverbs ... Luke 4 v 23 and Luke 4 v 24.
The People & their response ... They reject the Saviour.
The Path ... He continues on His way.
***
The Saviour has been to the Jordan River, as detailed in Luke 3 v 21-22, and He has been to the Wilderness, as seen in Luke 4 v 1-13.
He moves in the power of the Spirit to Galilee: this is noted in Luke 4 v 14-15.
We now trace His Steps to Nazareth where He was brought up (Luke 4 v 16). It is here that He reads in the synagogue.
It is interesting to note that He reads from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
Even more interesting is the portion He reads from, that is, Isaiah 61 v 1-2; but He does not read the whole of these verses: He stops in the middle of verse 2. The big question is: why ? Luke 4 v 18-21 gives us the answer.
In v 18-19 we have the portion that He read. He then tells His listeners, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." (see v 21)
His present ministry is one of grace and mercy - His future ministry will be quite different.
***
Let us note:
The Reading of the Book
This is a prophetic statement in regard to the Saviour's ministry.
It is amazing that it was written somewhere between 700 & 800 years before His birth.
He tells them that this prophesy is now fulfilled in Him.
-
The Beauty of His ministry:
The wonder, the grace and the love expressed in the words of v18-19.
He is a Saviour of tenderness and yet of power.
-
The Breadth of His ministry:
He will preach, He will heal, He will deliver, He will recover, He will liberate.
-
The Borders of His ministry:
He will bless all the nations of the world, as v24-27 imply.
See also Luke 2 v 32: 'a light to lighten the Gentiles', and also Luke 3 v 6: 'all flesh shall see the Salvation of God.'
These verses clearly show that He is The Saviour of the World, and a Saviour for all the World.
The Reaction of the Listeners
Firstly they seem to react with favour. His words were words of Grace. They wondered, or they were stirred, at His words.
They were impressed by the authority and the power with which He spoke.
He stopped before He came to the prophet’s words about "the day of vengeance of our God", (as a reading of Isaiah 61 v1-2 will show ). He did this because the day of vengeance refers to His second advent, His second coming to Earth.
But then they are sceptical, as is seen in their words at the end of v 22: " Is not this Joseph's son? "
They seemed to be amazed that one whom they knew as one of their own, could make such claims: they just didn't believe Him.
The Response of the Lord
The Saviour anticipates their next words, expressing their unbelief.
He quotes a proverb of the time, and He tells them what they are about to say (v 23).
They are about to ask for a sign: " whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. "
Then He quotes another proverb, v24, "No prophet is accepted in His own country."
These words of v 25 -27 are from 1 Kings 17, and 2 Kings 5.
They are from incidents in the ministry of the prophets, Elijah and Elisha, from which the nation had not benefited, yet the Gentiles had.
The Saviour, as we have pointed out already, was indicating that His ministry would go out to the Gentiles;
they would receive the blessing that the nation could have also enjoyed, but didn't.
The Rejection by the Listeners
The reason for their rejection was unbelief.
They expressed this in their actions: they tried to cast Him over the brow of the hill, that is, from the cliff top.
They acted like a lynch mob, so vehement was their rejection of Him.
But, as John tells us over and over again in his Gospel, the Saviour's hour to die had not yet come.
He passed through the crowd and continued on His way - the way which would ultimately lead to the Cross: His final rejection.
***
Let us ask ourselves:
Have I appreciated the Beauty of His ministry?
Will I enjoy the Blessings that His ministry brings?
Am I prepared to receive the Saviour as my very own?
His blessings are available to all, but they are only enjoyed through faith in Him.
'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'
John 3 v 16
In the Steps of the Saviour - Part 4
The Saviour's Blessings
' And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil,
and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?
Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
Luke 4 v 33 - 35
***
In our previous meditation we discussed The Saviour's Book.
We noted that this was the Old Testament book of Isaiah;
that He read from chapter 61 v1-v2 and He stated that He was the fulfilment of that prophecy.
The Saviour's Blessings
' And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil,
and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?
Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
Luke 4 v 33 - 35
***
In our previous meditation we discussed The Saviour's Book.
We noted that this was the Old Testament book of Isaiah;
that He read from chapter 61 v1-v2 and He stated that He was the fulfilment of that prophecy.
Let us follow Him further in the Gospel of Luke and see ...
The Saviour's Blessings.
After having been rejected in Nazareth, The Lord Jesus moves on to Capernaum (see Luke 4 v31)
In Capernaum the Saviour is confronted with a man who is possessed with an unclean spirit, a demon.
He casts it out and releases the man from the demon's power, but not before the demon says ...
" I know thee who thou art; The Holy One of God. "
What a blessing for this man, to be liberated from demonic possession! To be free to live a normal life.
What a testimony, even from a demon, to acknowledge the identity of this blessed person!
Later, in Luke 4v41, when He casts out demons from many they cry out saying ... " Thou art Christ, the Son of God. "
So they know Him as "the Holy One of God" and as "Christ, the Son of God."
What are we learning?
We are learning that even in the spirit world, His true identity is known and acknowledged.
***
From there The Saviour enters Simon's house, that is, His disciple Simon Peter's house.
In Simon's house, his mother in law is in the grip of a high fever - a great fever, a most serious plight!
The Saviour does something very interesting: He stands over her - it points to His authority. He then rebukes the fever, and it leaves her.
She is fully recovered, and immediately she gets up and begins to serve them all (likely this indicates serving a meal).
What a blessing for this lady, to be able to go about and show hospitality to the Saviour.
What are we learning?
Simply this, the Saviour has authority over demons and He has authority over disease.
***
And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy:
who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing,
according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Luke 5 v12 - v14
Here the Saviour is in an unnamed city or town. Luke writes "a man full of leprosy, when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face before Him and implored Him saying, " If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." (or, if you are willing you can make me clean / you can cure me).
It may have been the leper's desperation and need that caused him to come into the city, something which was contrary to the Law.
The Saviour does something unthinkable, something that no one else would do.
He touches this man and says " I will, be thou clean. "
How wonderful His compassion and sympathy towards this poor soul.
Immediately the leprosy departs from the man, and he is clean!
In v14 The Saviour charges the man, telling him to go to the priest, who would verify his cleansing.
The priest could not cleanse the man, but the fact that he was cleansed was to be verified or witnessed officially by the priest. This would be a testimony to the priest that the Messiah had come; that this Jesus of Nazareth, who had cleansed the leper, was indeed the Messiah.
What are we learning?
We are learning the true Identity of this benevolent Saviour.
We are learning that the Saviour has Authority. We are learning that He also has great Sympathy.
We are learning that the Saviour has authority over demons, and even over the dreaded disease of leprosy.
***
So the Lord Jesus moves on and in the process of teaching, a paralysed man is brought to Him (Luke 5 v18-26).
And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude,
they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, 'Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.'
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying,
Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, 'What reason ye in your hearts?
Whether is easier: to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,)
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.'
And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
This paralysed man is laid before the Saviour: what will He do?
Will He stand over him? Will He touch his powerless body? Will He command him to stand up?
None of the above!
The Saviour deals first with this man's greatest need - the forgiveness of his sins.
He simply speaks and says "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee."
Note the consternation of the Scribes and Pharisees:
they charge Him with speaking blasphemy, adding "who can forgive sins but God alone? "
Actually, they were right in this point, that only the living and true God can forgive sins!
But they were wrong in that they thought that this was a mere man in their midst.
He has proven Himself to be more than a man.
Looking back over the previous chapters in Luke's Gospel we can recall the following:
1. Mary was told by the angel Gabriel, that the One who would be born would be the Son of the Highest.
2. The angels announced that the One born was " Christ the Lord. "
3. John the Baptist referred to Him as ... " the Lord. "
4. God the Father from Heaven announced ... "Thou art My beloved Son, in thee I am well-pleased."
5. The devil challenged Him as to His identity, " If thou be the Son of God. " ... but soon regretted it.
The point is obvious:
The One in their midst was God manifest in flesh.
As if to prove this point, Jesus (knowing their thoughts) responds to them: " why do you reason in your hearts ? "
He challenges them with the question as to "which is easier: to say, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee'; or to say, 'Rise up and walk?' "
If they were honest, they would have to admit that both are impossible for a mere man.
But the Saviour is able to do both.
He says " That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on Earth to forgive sins ... "
To prove that He is able to forgive sins, thus proving that He is God manifest in flesh, He speaks to the man and says
" I say unto thee, Arise, and take up the bed and go to thine house. "
Here was the plain, clear, unambiguous, irrefutable proof that they needed.
In v25 immediately, the man rose up before them, took up the mat he had lay upon and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
What are we learning?
We are learning that anyone who claims to be able to forgive sins, will also be able to make paralysed men walk !
It takes the same authority and power.
***
We are also learning that this One known as Jesus is the Son of man.
Why is that important?
The Son of Man is a title given to the One who is going to have a Kingdom that will have no end.
He is the One spoken of in the prophecy of Daniel 7v13-14.
It is the title that the Lord Jesus used of Himself more than any other, in fact in the Gospels He uses it over 80 times.
This is the One who can bring the greatest of all blessings to any individual who places trust or personal faith in Him:
that is, the forgiveness of sins.
***
So we see that the Saviour is moving through the land dispensing blessing on every hand, the greatest of these being the forgiveness of sins.
What a blessing! To know for sure that all ones sins are once and for all forgiven - wonderful!
This comes through faith in the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ.
This blessing is available to all, as we will discover in the following chapters of Lukes Gospel.
Do you know your many sins are all forgiven? Are you living in the good of the forgiveness of sins?
You can, just the way these people did, by simple faith in Christ.
As Paul put it:
"Through this man is preached into you the forgiveness of sins,
and all who believe, are justified freely from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses. "
Acts 13v38-39
Again he said in Acts 16v31:
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved"
What a Saviour!
In the Steps of the Saviour - Part 5
Luke chapter 7 v6 -v9
***
By the time we come to Chapter Seven of Luke's Gospel, we have followed the Steps of the Saviour from a village in Galilee to the house of Levi, then through the grain fields and up into a mountain.
Having descended, He now enters into Capernaum.
In this wonderful chapter we see Him dispensing blessing to the Centurion's Slave, to the Widow's Son,
to a Suffering Servant, and to a Bankrupt Sinner.
In each case it is the Saviour Himself who imparts the blessing.
In each case His power is seen.
In each case His Word is prominent.
In each case, whether it is disease, or death, or doubt, or the debt of sin, the Lord Jesus is the answer.
Let us pause here and consider this blessed truth:
whatever your problem might be, we can encourage you, the Lord Jesus is the answer.
***
In the first and the last accounts of blessing in chapter seven, faith is emphasised;
but it is not faith in general, it is quite clearly faith in the Lord Jesus.
In this first story we discover that, contrary to what the elders thought
(when they said of the Centurion, 'He is worthy, and therefore he should receive blessing'),
He himself said, " I am not worthy... ".
He did not consider himself worthy, and in fact, he was not blessed because he was worthy,
but because of his faith, despite his unworthiness.
Let's note that his faith was in the Lord Jesus, the Saviour.
He himself was a man under authority - it was a minor position of authority in the military organisation of Rome, yet his power was absolute in his own small circle. He discerned the Lord was One who wielded authority in a vastly greater domain.
He was confident that a word from Him would effect all that was needed.
His was a faith that simply took the Lord at His word, without reasonings, feelings or experiences.
The Saviour described it as 'Great Faith'. It was his faith in the Lord Jesus that was rewarded.
***
'And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet:
but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Wherefore I say unto thee,Her sins, which are many, are forgiven;
for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves,
Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.'
Luke 7 v44 -v50
***
Coming to the last case: at the close of the chapter, we are introduced to a woman who was deemed unworthy to approach the Saviour and much less to receive blessing from Him. What a contrast to the Centurion!
Yet, as we read on we see that this woman not only drew near to the Lord and He received her,
but in fact she was given a greater blessing than the Centurion.
His blessing was of a physical, temporal nature - this woman's blessing was of a spiritual, eternal nature.
She received the greatest of all blessings: she received the forgiveness of sins.
The question to be answered is, " How did she receive this blessing of the forgiveness of sins? "
We don't read of baptism, we don't read of communion;
we don't read of a monetary donation or of good works. We don't even read of a prayer being uttered.
So we ask again: " How did she receive this greatest of all blessings? "
Some tell us it was her love for the Saviour that caused Him to forgive her, but they have the cart before the horse.
The clear answer comes from the lips of the unerring Lord Himself.
In verse 50 He says, " Woman, thy faith has saved thee (your faith has saved you)."
What could be plainer than that?
What could be clearer than that?
What could be simpler than that?
What could be more important than that?
Her faith in the Lord Jesus brought her the forgiveness of sins.
That is, she was forgiven on the grounds of faith in the Lord Jesus,
and then this produced in her an appreciation and love for Him as her Saviour.
The evidence of her appreciation and love for the One who had forgiven her was seen in her washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair, then kissing His feet and anointing them with ointment.
***
As Robert Lowry's old hymn says:
Faith in Christ will save thee.
Sinner, trust God's risen Son,
To His arms now quickly run.
Trust the work that He has done,
Faith in Christ will save thee.
***
To enter into the eternal blessing of having our sins forgiven, we are simply commanded to trust in - put our faith in - the Saviour, appreciating the work of redemption which he completed on the cross, when He died for us.
We pray that all who read this might do so,
and experience the peace which comes in knowing that one is forgiven and accepted by God.
***
'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
not of works, lest any man should boast.'
Ephesians chapter 2 v8/v9
In the Steps of the Saviour - Part 6
And he cried, saying, 'Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.'
And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:
but he cried so much the more, 'Thou son of David, have mercy on me.'
And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him:
and when he was come near, he asked him,
saying, 'What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?'
And he said, 'Lord, that I may receive my sight.'
And Jesus said unto him, 'Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee'.
And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God:
and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Luke Chapter 18 v32-28
***
All throughout the Gospel of Luke we have seen the Saviour dispensing physical blessings and spiritual blessings;
His blessing have been abundant.
We have noted that His greatest blessings have been the spiritual blessings of the forgiveness of sins, that is salvation.
At the end of Luke 18 v42 we find the words of the assurance of salvation given by the Lord Jesus to a blind beggar:
" ... thy faith hath saved thee. "
From this narrative we see that it was the beggars personal faith in the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus, that brought him this great spiritual blessing.
The wonderful thing was that the beggar knew as he lived the rest of his life here upon Earth, that he was saved.
***
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him,
'Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.'
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor;
and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.'
And Jesus said unto him,
'This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.'
Luke Chapter 19 v1-10
***
In the very next chapter, Luke 19, we discover a very different man who receives salvation.
There are many contrasts between these men, but there are also some similarities.
One is their personal faith in the Saviour.
Another - they were not swayed by what the crowd or the majority thought.
They both got beyond public opinion to faith in Christ, faith in the Saviour.
Interestingly, this second man Zaccheus, received assurance from the the Saviour's words that he was that day saved.
See Luke 19v9: And Jesus said unto him 'This day is salvation come to this house'.
Zaccheus did not have to wait until Judgement Day to know if he was a possessor of salvation:
The Saviour's words were enough for him.
Let us ask ourselves: Am I saved?
Have I received this assurance of salvation from the words of the Saviour Himself?
Both these men knew there and then that they were saved - salvation was theirs.
In Luke 19v10 the words of the Saviour Himself are most enlightening - we encourage all to ponder them ...
'For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.'
The beggar was lost; Zaccheus was lost.
Both were lost to God because of their sin, both would have perished because of their sin.
Both were saved through faith in Christ.
The very purpose of the Saviour's coming to Earth from Heaven is given in His own words:
'For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.'
He came with the purpose to seek and to save, He alone has the power to save.
***
Consider the words of Mr John Newton's famous hymn, 'Amazing Grace' :
Amazing Grace - how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found,
was blind but now I see.
T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear,
and Grace my fears relieved...
How precious did that Grace appear,
the hour I first believed.
***
'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
not of works, lest any man should boast.'
Ephesians 2 v 8&9